


That Awkward Easter Dinner

by imthetitanic



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alfie is a baby, Awesome Crowley, Awesome Mary Winchester, Big Brother Lucifer, Big Brother Michael, Easter, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Fluff and Humor, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, John isnt a dick, M/M, Naomi Being a Dick, Nice Lucifer, POV Castiel, Protective Crowley, Protective Michael, Sassy Castiel, surprise character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2015-08-19
Packaged: 2018-04-15 12:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4606557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imthetitanic/pseuds/imthetitanic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lucifer inadvertently finds Chuck, he comes home with an invitation to Easter dinner. The question is, will Naomi and her husband, Crowley, agree to the family going? Especially, Castiel worries about whether he should bring his boyfriend, considering his mother's reaction to his sexual orientation. </p>
<p>Basically, this is a humor fic, plain and simple, with a smidge of kind of angst thrown in but not really.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Awkward Easter Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> So I thought I posted this in April when I was supposed to but I didn't. My roommate encouraged me to post it now, though, so you guys get a random Easter fic. :) 
> 
> If you aren't one for reading tags, I do need to trigger warn for homophobia and implied abuse, but it isn't heavy and is cleared up fairly quickly.

Castiel stood up from his seat on the steps as his brother came running completely barefoot up the driveway wearing nothing but a pair of ripped skinny jeans. "Lucifer," he hissed under his breath before sprinting to meet him and drag him into the grass, out of the sight of the windows against the house. "Where are your clothes?"

"I'm not positive," panted Lucifer, his eyes sparkling. "You will never guess what happened." 

Castiel rolled his eyes before wrapping his brother in an embrace. "Where have you been?"

"St. Louis." Lucifer grinned as Castiel shot him a disapproving look. "I needed to clear my head, Castiel. Don't tell me you've never thought about running away."

"Of course I have. But not to one of the most dangerous cities in the country. What if you had gotten hurt?" Castiel crossed his arms and leaned against the house. 

"I almost did. But that's what I get for protesting, I suppose. Anyway, that wasn't what I wanted you to guess. Try again." Lucifer mirrored Castiel's posture. 

Castiel rolled his eyes. Lucifer was as insufferable as ever. Protesting in St. Louis? His mother and father had named him well. However, through his initial aggravation and worry, he felt a sense of pride that his brother was as strong as he was. He allowed a smile to form on his face. "What happened, brother?"

Lucifer laughed softly. "Well, I decided I was going to find Gabriel." When Castiel's eyes widened in disbelief, Lucifer shook his head sadly. "I did not find him. I went to some sort of convention in St. Louis for his favorite book series, hoping he might have been drawn there." Lucifer shrugged. "He was not there. So I thought, Oh well, I already bought the ticket. I might as well remain here. I went to a panel the next afternoon, one of those ‘meet the author' deals?"

Castiel was highly confused, but he nodded to Lucifer to continue. "The author, as you might know, goes by Carver Edlund. This was his first public appearance, and during this time, he revealed his real name. But I already knew." Lucifer paused, and Castiel leaned forward involuntarily. "His name was Chuck Shurley." 

Castiel's hands flew to his mouth. "Father?" 

"The one and only." Lucifer nodded with a smug smile on his face. "I found Father. After his panel, I went up to him, said hi...he fainted. Not kidding, he fell into a dead faint." Lucifer stretched his arms above his head. "Naturally, when he came to, he had all sorts of questions. The usual, you know. How are you, what about your brothers, how did you find me. I said we were doing fine, and I had just happened to be in town." Again, Lucifer paused, and Castiel stared at him. "He invited us over for Easter dinner. And the best part? He lives in Kansas City."

Castiel's eyes widened, and he clapped his hands together. A grin spread over his face, but it soon faded as he realized Easter was only a week away. "How will we convince Mother that this is a good idea?" Castiel let his thoughts race around in his head for a minute, while Lucifer was silent. "We only have a week. And Gabriel is missing. And-"

"Slow down, Castiel. One step at a time. First, we tell Mother this is happening." Lucifer smiled. "Then we figure out the rest." His smile widened into a grin. "We are going to Father's house for Easter dinner."  
Castiel tilted his head to the side in confusion. "There is the other problem." Lucifer raised his eyebrows, prompting him to proceed. "Well, why would Father invite us over for dinner now? When Father and Mother divorced, Father gave her custody. No visitation. He just left. Why would he want us now?" The old pain of abandonment was back in full swing. Father had left them, there was no getting around it.

Lucifer sat silently for a good five minutes, lost in thought, but eventually he said, "Maybe he wants a fresh start. We are his children, after all." He put his arm around Castiel, who leaned into him. "God knows I would want one."

Castiel nodded, not trusting his voice. His eyes welled up with tears. Father wanted them again. He took a moment to get his emotions under control before saying, "Perhaps you should go inside and change your clothing. Mother might have a heart attack if she sees you in those clothes."

Lucifer nodded. "That is most likely for the best, little brother. Stay here so you do not get in trouble." He got up and stretched, then snuck through the front door. Castiel rolled his eyes. That wasn't subtle at all. Mother was going to catch him before he could change, and then where would they be? Sure enough, the sound of Mother's shriek of righteous indignation rang out of the house, followed by the sound of a scolding.

Castiel smiled. This was familiar ground. He looked up at the buzzing beehive hanging from the limb of the oak tree in the front yard. His brother was home, and they had been invited to Easter dinner by their father, and Mother was throwing a fit. All was as it should be. He relaxed for a few more moments before standing up and going in the house. The yelling seemed to have died down. 

Lucifer and Mother were nowhere in sight, but his stepfather was in the recliner in front of the television, watching a - Castiel studied the screen for a moment - World War II documentary. Without looking around, his stepfather said, "Cas. So good of you to join us inside. Your mother is upstairs with Lucifer." Castiel winced slightly. "We seem to be about to have a family meeting...as soon as Michael shows up." 

"Where is Michael?" Castiel asked, in lieu of responding to the rest of the (frankly disturbing) information. 

His stepfather laughed. "Wherever he is. Naomi tends to give him a longer leash than the rest of you."   
Michael walked through the door. Speak of the devil. "Castiel, where is Mother?" he asked, not bothering to acknowledge his stepfather's presence. 

"She is upstairs." Michael nodded. Castiel continued, "With Lucifer." 

"He is back?" Castiel nodded. "Mother has him upstairs." Castiel nodded again. Michael practically ran past him and flew up the stairs, a frown deeply set on his face. "Mother?" he called as he went. 

Castiel could not help but feel relieved that Michael was home and still willing to protect the rest of the brothers. He had been distant since the disappearance of Gabriel. Mother had allowed him to do whatever he had to do to deal with the loss of his brother, but this meant she had cracked down on the rest of them, particularly Castiel. 

Castiel's situation had gotten slightly better when his mother had married his stepfather, who insisted the boys call him Crowley, rather than his real name. Sometimes (but he would never admit it to anyone), he was relieved that his father had vanished, because at least he knew his stepfather was on his side. He was unsure of how his true father would have reacted when he brought Dean home after about six months. 

\-----

_"Who's this?" Castiel broke away from the kiss as he heard Mother's extremely calm voice. He knew this was a dangerous voice, but he did not feel like hiding anymore. He looked directly into Dean's green eyes and gathered his strength._

_He turned to his mother, who was standing in the doorway to his bedroom. "Mother." He took Dean's hand, knowing full well she had caught the two of them in a compromising position. "This is Dean."  
"Your study partner for English?" she asked, still calm. Now that Castiel was looking at her face, he could see how thin her veneer of calm was. _

_"One and the same," Castiel responded. Dean squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back._

_Mother's face was slowly turning red. "And what exactly are you two studying, Castiel?"_

_Castiel smirked, swallowing down his fear of the consequences for what he was about to say. "Well, Mother, right then, we were studying each other's mouths. For the sake of understanding Shakespeare's Sonnet 52 and the themes therein."_

_Mother licked her lips and pressed them firmly together. "Oh, and what would those themes be?"_

_"Many of Shakespeare's sonnets have homoerotic undertones. This one is slightly more...overt." Castiel glanced at Dean out of the corner of his eye, and the boy was biting his lip, with a twinkle in his eyes. When he looked back at his mother, she was downright apoplectic._

_She took a deep breath before practically screaming, "Castiel James Novak!" Castiel braced himself for the inevitable. "No son of mine-" Her voice was shrill, but then a voice broke in._

_"No son of yours what, Naomi, dear?" Crowley asked in a soft, heavily accented voice. His face popped up over Mother's shoulder. "Oh, I see. Naomi, darling, may I talk to you? Privately? Now?"_

_Naomi huffed out a breath and followed her husband across the hall. Castiel could hear their low voices, but could not make out what they were saying. He turned to his boyfriend, who sighed, his face ashen. "That was damn close, Cas. If your stepdad hadn't been here..."_

_"I am aware, Dean." Castiel pulled his boyfriend toward him, placing the blonde head on his shoulder and stroking the hair. "Mother is not exactly tolerant toward other views. I wonder what Crowley is telling her."_

_As if on cue, the two walked back into the room. Mother still looked angry, but she was no longer close to purple in the face. Crowley was smiling. "Your mother and I support you, Cas, and I hope you realize it." Castiel was taken aback. Mother had a deep frown on her face and did not look supportive._

_Crowley looked at Mother and raised both eyebrows. "Yes, Castiel, we support you," she said flatly and obviously insincerely. She turned and marched out of the room. Crowley shot the boys a wink and followed her out, shutting the door behind him._

\-----

Crowley had protected him. Would Father? Castiel suddenly decided he was going to test and see at Easter dinner. If Mother allowed them to go (and possibly if she did not, Castiel realized, thinking of Lucifer's determination), he was inviting Dean to meet his father. 

Michael came back down the stairs with a frown on his face. Lucifer followed close behind him, completely dressed in light jeans, a green t-shirt, and a blue jacket. Castiel noted his limp and the way he folded in on himself when he reached the couch. Castiel sat beside him and allowed his brother to rest his head on his shoulder. Michael sat next to Castiel and crossed his arms angrily. 

Mother followed the two older brothers down the stairs and stood in front of the television, which Crowley turned off with a sigh. "It has come to my attention that Lucifer came into contact with your father earlier in the week, and that he has tendered an invitation for dinner. On Easter, no less."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Father has invited us for Easter dinner?" He looked across Castiel at Lucifer. "That is why you did this?"

Mother scowled. "He left us to protest in St. Louis, Michael."

"I left to find Gabriel," Lucifer said. "It is not my fault I couldn't find him."

Crowley cleared his throat and looked at all three boys, then back at his wife. "I believe we are getting slightly off topic. Chuck invited the three of them for dinner?"

"And apparently us as well," Naomi said with a snort. "As if we would ever-"

"Well let's go. We can't deprive the boys of their father, darling. Lucifer, why don't you call him and tell him we'll be there." Castiel found a smile forming on his face. When he looked on either side of him at his brothers, he saw smiles on both of their faces as well. 

Lucifer nodded and went to heave himself off the couch, but Michael stopped him. "No, brother, let me get it. You need your phone?"

"And the number. It's on a little piece of paper in my skinny jeans' pocket." Lucifer sounded strained. 

Michael got up and went upstairs. Once he was out of earshot, Naomi leaned close to Castiel and Lucifer. "You two. If you say anything that might give him reason to fight for custody," she lowered her voice further as Crowley looked on in disapproval, "I won't play nice."

Michael came back downstairs and handed the phone and the slip of paper to Lucifer, who dialed the number and waited. "Father. Yes, we can come. Hmmm? Yes, I believe one of us does. All right, I'll tell him. Yes, I'm excited to see you too. All right. Bye."

"One of us does what, Lucifer?" Mother asked.

Lucifer shrugged. "Has a significant other that he might like to bring." He cast a look toward Castiel.   
Mother shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. If you think I will condone Castiel's boyfriend coming to Easter dinner, you are sorely mistaken."

"Naomi, may I remind you that it is not up to you who Chuck invites to dinner? He has extended a plus-one invitation to one of his sons." Castiel again found himself greatly appreciating the man his mother had chosen to marry, who spoke softly but with great force. 

Her face went through several expressions before settling on resignation. "Fine." She crossed her arms. "Invite Dean."

Castiel sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mother. Crowley."

Crowley smiled at him, and that, rather than his mother's scowl, was what Castiel chose to focus on. Michael placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Are we dismissed, Mother? I believe Castiel has a phone call he would like to make."

Mother nodded. "Yes. You are dismissed," she said tonelessly. 

Castiel was up like a shot and breezed up the stairs, careening into his room and shutting the door. He dug his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for: Dean Winchester. He pressed the call button. 

It rang a couple times before his boyfriend picked up. "Yeah?"

"Hello, Dean. I was wondering if you wanted to meet my father," Castiel said.

Dean spluttered. "Cas, didn't your dad, like, vanish?" 

"Yes, but Lucifer found him. He invited us over for dinner. And he said I could bring you."

"Does he know I'm a boy?" 

Castiel laughed a little. "No. But he does not know I am the one bringing my significant other to dinner, either. Lucifer told him."

"Cas, honey, do you really think this is a good idea?" The concern in Dean's voice was palpable. 

"Honestly, I have no idea, but at this point, I do not care a bit. He abandoned all of us. If he had decided that suddenly he deserves forgiveness, he can handle me having a boyfriend." 

"Amen to that. But what if something happens?" 

Castiel shook his head, though he knew Dean could not see it. "Nothing will. And if it does, we can leave."

"Are we not riding up with your parents?"

"No. I do not think Mother would appreciate having to bring her son's boyfriend to Easter dinner with her ex-husband."

"True that. Okay, I can pick you up for it. Where is it?"

"Kansas City?"

"Sounds good. Let me know when later. I need to go. Sam's freaking out about some girl. Love you."  
"Love you too." Dean hung up, and Castiel sank down onto his bed, hoping this would go smoothly.

**ONE WEEK LATER**

"What if he does not accept that I have a boyfriend?" Castiel asked Crowley while the older man was helping him fix his tie. 

Crowley chuckled. "Then screw him. You don't need negative people in your life."

Castiel did not mean to ask his next question...it just slipped out. "Then why did you marry Mother?"

Crowley tightened Castiel's tie and stepped back. "Because I fell in love with her before I found out how she treated her "little angels." And when I did, I decided I wasn't going to just let her get away with it."

Castiel studied him, and he smiled. "I couldn't just call the police. You guys would have been separated, and I didn't want to destroy your family. So I moved in. I married her. And since then, I have done my absolute best to protect all three of you from her. And I will do the same with your father, if he decides to be a raging homophobe, all right?"

Castiel nodded, reassured and in awe of the man. "All right." He smiled gently. "Thank you."

\-----

Dean fiddled with his bow tie. "Are you sure this is good for dinner with Cas's dad? I don't want to seem like I think I'm better than them."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You were told to dress nice. This is nice. If you're worried about overdressing, then change."

Dean opened the door to his closet and rummaged through the clothes before slamming the door shut. "Dammit, Sam, I don't have anything else!"

"Then there's your answer." Sam's calm was infuriating. "Wear the tux. Chill out. Cas loves you. He isn't going to judge you if you are a little overdressed. Besides, I thought you said you were supposed to wear your ‘Sunday best'."

Dean clenched and unclenched his fists multiple times in a futile attempt to calm down. "I'm not worried about Cas judging me. His entire family is going to be there. I'm worried about them judging me. What if his dad decides to completely reject him because his boyfriend isn't good enough?" He started breathing heavily. "It would be my fault. I can't do that to him. Maybe I shouldn't go."

Sam took a step forward and placed a giant hand on Dean's shoulder. "Hey. You're going. If I have to drag you out to the Impala myself, you are going. You are going to pick up your boyfriend and take him to Easter dinner with his family." Dean started shaking, and Sam brought him in for a hug. "Everything's going to be fine."

Immediately berating himself for showing that much panic over a dinner, Dean schooled himself into a state of calm. He hugged Sam back and nodded. "Yeah. Everything will be fine."

"All right, get out of here or you'll be late for Cas, jerk." Sam grinned and pushed his hair out of his face.  
"Bitch. I'll see you later." Dean snatched the keys up from his nightstand and headed downstairs. "Later, Dad! Bye, Mom!"

"Where you headed, Dean?" his dad asked from where he sat on the couch.   
"Date with Cas." He grinned and kept walking. 

His dad looked around and laughed. "Oh well, I won't wait up then."

His mom came out of the kitchen. "John, really? You leave Dean alone." She wrapped Dean in a hug and whispered in his ear, "Use protection." 

Dean flushed a deep red and spluttered, "Mom! We're going to be with his family. Holy crap."

His dad cracked up, and as Dean practically fled out the door, he heard his mother call after him, "Have fun, dear!"

\-----

Dean drove to Cas's house, blaring "Eye of the Tiger" through the speakers. As he arrived, he turned it off and sat in the car for a moment before getting out of the car. He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. 

Michael opened it and shook Dean's hand immediately. "Dean Winchester. I am glad to see you here. Castiel will be down in a moment. I believe our stepfather is talking to him upstairs." He stepped aside with a smile. "Why don't you come in and sit down?"

Dean did just that, sinking into the couch. "So how are you? I don't think we've talked in ages." He took in the outfit Michael was wearing and was slightly relieved. He was wearing a black suit and necktie. But then again, this was Michael, and Dean remembered Cas telling him his oldest brother took things like this extremely seriously. 

"That we have not. I am well. Quite pleased that I am to be allowed to see my father again." Dean suppressed a chuckle. So Michael was where Cas picked up his speech patterns. 

Lucifer came into the room, looking slightly uncomfortable in an all-white suit. Dean internally sighed in relief. If Lucifer was wearing that, he was not overdressed. "Dean, I haven't seen you in forever. How's your brother?" 

Dean felt his protective instincts rising. Lucifer had always given him a weird feeling, but he chalked it up to the name and answered, "He's fine." 

"Good. I'm glad." Lucifer sat down beside Dean. "Waiting on Castiel?"

"Yeah. We're driving up together." Awkward, Dean. Come on. They know that...why else would you be here? He plastered a smile on his face, trying to cover up his obvious statement. 

Lucifer nodded. "Cool." Good, he didn't notice. Or he did. Dammit. He did, didn't he? This internal dialogue went on for a good five minutes as the three of them sat in silence on the couch. And then Dean heard footsteps on the stairs. 

Cas was walking down the stairs, his stepfather close behind and damn he looked phenomenal. His hair was tousled and he was wearing a black suit, like his brother, but with a blue tie that really brought out his eyes. He wore a beige trench coat over the entire ensemble, which kind of made him look like a tax accountant, but a damn sexy tax accountant at that. "Hello Dean," he said in his gravelly voice. 

Dean gasped softly. "Cas. You look great." He stood up and met Cas halfway through the living room, pulling their lips together in a gentle kiss. They broke apart when they heard Naomi clear her throat behind them. She looked like she was about to say something, but Crowley looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She crossed her arms and walked away. 

Crowley clapped both boys on the shoulder. "We're going to head out. You take as long as you need."   
This time, Dean was not alone in his blush. 

**NOW LEAVING LAWRENCE, KANSAS**

Castiel and Dean made it to the Shurley household about an hour later. The Novak car was already there. Dean got out and ran around the front of the car to open the door for his boyfriend. They strolled up the driveway, squeezing each other's hands for dear life. 

Their knuckles hit each other as they both reached out to ring the doorbell. They both chuckled nervously. Dean reached for the doorbell this time, pressing it once. A slightly scruffy man in a white button down shirt answered the door. "Castiel and Dean, I presume."

Castiel was probably bruising Dean's fingers with how tightly he was squeezing them. "Yes, Father," he said uncertainly. 

"Naomi told me you were bringing your boyfriend. It is a pleasure to meet you, Dean." Dean shook the proffered hand. 

"Pleasure to meet you too, sir." At that, a blonde woman wearing a green dress and holding a baby came to the door. 

"Becky, this is Castiel and Dean," Castiel's father said. "My son and his boyfriend."

Becky smiled and held out her available hand to shake. "Hello, boys. This is Alfie, our son."

Dean couldn't hold back his smile as he held out a finger to the baby. Alfie latched onto it and Castiel giggled. Becky grinned at Dean as she shifted Alfie's weight. "So, would you boys like to come in?"

The two adults moved aside to allow Castiel and Dean into the house, and Castiel dropped Dean's hand immediately, running forward to embrace a blond-haired man who was standing just out of eyesight from the doorway. "Gabriel!"

"Hey, little bro," Gabriel said, wrapping Castiel in a tight hug. "Sorry we haven't spoken lately."

"Sorry does not cut it. But I am so glad you are here. I missed you." Castiel was holding back tears as he pulled away from the hug. "This is my boyfriend, Dean."

Gabriel looked Dean up and down before wolf-whistling. "Dang, Cassie, you sure picked a looker."

Dean's face grew hot. "You're Cas's older brother? The one who ran away?"

"The one and only. Been here for a while. Dad said it might not be the best idea to contact the rest of the family, but then Luci found him. So here we all are." Gabriel grinned. "Shall we go to dinner?"

Castiel, Dean, Chuck, Becky, and Alfie all followed Gabriel to the dinner table, where Crowley, Naomi, Michael, and Lucifer waited. The table may have been crowded, but what could anyone expect from a family this full?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
